Two Hearts' Singing
by s w e e t r e b e l l i o n
Summary: A collection of Zutara songfics. Not much else to say, but please read! They're not as bad as this summary is!
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar, or the song "Hate Me" by Blue October. Although if I did, that would be AWESOME!_

A/N: Okay, so this is a collection of songfics, they'll be mostly Zutara, but I might throw in a different pairing every now and then. Emphasis on might. Two things that stay constant for all chapters. 1. If I have mistakes in the lyrics, don't get mad at me, and don't tell me. Especially if it's Fall Out Boy. NEVER let me know that I messed up on a Fall Out Boy song. 2. I used to not name chapters after songs, but it soon got annoying so I do now name chapters after songs. 3. I do put ratings on these, but don't jump down my throat if you feel it should be rated higher/lower than I did. So.. uh... I don't have much to say about this one except it's very angsty, so if you don't like that kind of thing, don't read it. So read, review, and enjoy! Next chapter will be up in 1-2 weeks.

Rated: PG-13 (Some severe language, character death, suicidal activity)

**Chapter 1: Hate Me**

_I have to block out thoughts of you so I don't lose my head,  
__They crawl in like a cockroach leaving babies in my bed,  
__Dropping little reels of tape to remind me that I'm alone,  
__Playing movies in my head that make a porno feel like home. _

Zuko sat at the edge of his bed. His mind had gone numb with shock. He landed in the Fire Nation. He was going to run away with Aang and Sokka… and most of all Katara. His eyes blurred, and it was a moment before he recognized the unfamiliar presence of tears there. He and Katara had a plan. They would deboard in the Fire Nation, then run away and go into hiding. Aang would find a Firebender to teach him, and sometime during the night, he and Katara would just slip away…

Finally, a tear dropped onto his hand. It seemed to take an eternity to fall, and when it did, it burned him, and the remainder of his happiness was shed through his tears. He made no attempt to wipe them away; he just sat there, silently grieving for what he had lost.

_There's a burning in my pride, a nervous bleeding in my brain, _

_An ounce of peace is all I want for you, will you never call again?  
__And will you never say that you love me just to put it in my face?  
__And will you never try to reach me? It is I that wanted space. _

But when they had landed, an army was waiting for them. Zuko didn't know it was going to come. But it killed Aang, along with any hope for peace. And now Katara hated him. He had leapt in front of her instead of Aang, it was his fault that Aang was dead. Aang was her best friend, and he hadn't tried to save him. She couldn't believe that he had not instructed the army to be waiting there.

_Hate me today,  
__Hate me tomorrow,  
__Hate me for all the things I didn't do for you. _

He stood up slowly. He felt like the earth was shattering beneath him; his world was spinning out of control. He somehow found his way to Katara's room. Clutching the doorframe for support, he stared at her. She was hunched over Aang's body, which they had recovered, and her tears fell silently onto his chest. Her grief was almost more than he could bear. A million words of comfort bubbled inside him, but he couldn't make any of them come out. And then the worst happened.

Katara turned to face him, her hand still clutching Aang's, and her look left Zuko adamantly glad that looks couldn't kill. Her eyes burned with cold anger, betrayal, and grief. "Katara…" was all he could manage.

_Hate me in ways,  
__Yeah ways hard to swallow,  
__Hate me so you can finally see what's good for you. _

From that look, he cursed himself for everything he had ever done wrong. For not realizing his love for her the moment he saw her, and then for trying to ignore it, for every time he hurt her before and after he really got to know her, and for letting duties to his ship get in the way of giving her the attention that she deserved. And for Aang. Especially for Aang. He knew it was his fault that Aang was dead, he had put his life in front of the fate of the entire world. If Katara had died, he would've died, too, just from not having her heart beating beside his. He didn't deserve her, but he had to apologize, had to make her understand.

He stepped forward and practically fell to his knees before her. He edged closer to her, and reached out to touch her cheek, but she turned to look at Aang. He could feel his heart breaking into a million pieces, and could hardly keep from wailing his anguish for the world to hear. "I didn't summon the army," he said in a hoarse whisper. She turned to look back at him again, a sadness even greater than his reflected in her eyes.

_I'm sober now for 3 whole months it's one accomplishment that you helped me with,  
__The one thing that always tore us apart is the one thing I won't touch again,  
__In my sick way I want to thank you for holding my head up late at night,  
__While I was busy waging wars on myself, you were trying to stop the fight._

She didn't say anything, and he was overcome with an impulse to take her in his arms and close his eyes until it was all over. He was afraid and angry with himself and sad, he needed Katara right now and she wouldn't reach out to him. He was ashamed that he needed her so much, but he needed her. He closed his eyes as tears threatened to overcome him. He took a deep, steadying breath.

_You never doubted my warped opinions on things like suicidal hate,  
__You made me compliment myself when it was way too hard to take,  
__So I'll drive so fucking far away that I never cross your mind,  
__And do whatever it takes in your heart to leave me behind. _

"I'm sorry," he implored, staring into her great blue eyes. He needed her to believe it, he couldn't live without her, and he couldn't live with her sadness. He couldn't live with her feeling so betrayed, and even though he knew it was not his fault, he felt so guilty that he felt like he could roll over and die. "I'm sorry." But her disbelieving eyes said it all.

He tried to stop the tears from coming again, but the dam was broken.

_Hate me today,  
__Hate me tomorrow,  
__Hate me for all the things I didn't do for you.  
__Hate me in ways,  
__Yeah ways hard to swallow,  
__Hate me so you can finally see what's good for you. _

"I'm sorry too," came her cold reply. Her icy tones pierced his heart like knives, and he felt such a great swell of emotion that he thought he would not be able to bear it. And he watched her looking down at Aang with such tenderness… a look that he had been on the receiving end of before. He felt dazed, like he had been hit hard in the face.

_And with a sad heart I say bye to you and wave,  
__Kicking shadows on the street for every mistake that I had made,  
__And like a baby boy I never was a man,  
__Until I saw your blue eyes cry and I held your face in my hand. _

And then, her tears began to fall again, and another bolt of unbearable sadness surged through him. He leaned forward and gently cradled her face in his hands. He tenderly wiped her tears away, and felt a little better. He leaned forward to kiss her, and to his great relief, she did not pull away. He arms snaked around his neck for a moment, but then she seemed to realize what she was doing and pulled herself away, and he felt his grief reach such a pitch that he was sure it would stop his heart. His skin could not contain all that he was feeling, he would surely have to scream his grief to the heavens or die…

_And then I fell down yelling 'Make it go away!'  
__Just make a smile come back and shine just like it used to be,  
__And then she whispered, _

"How can you do this to me?"

At that sentence, he felt bile rising in his throat and swallowed it, hard. He had already gotten lost in his grief, but he would not let it take control of his body. "But I didn't," he breathed.

_Hate me today,  
__Hate me tomorrow,  
__Hate me for all the things I didn't do for you. _

A long time later, he stood in an icy shower. The water felt good on his skin, and he leaned back against the slick shower wall and slid down very slowly. He was ready to die; he was ready to let the water drown him. He closed the drain and closed his eyes, waiting for the water to rise up and claim him. Almost as soon as he did so the water began to stop. He looked up. The water was still on. A dark, obscure figure was outside the wavy glass door. She drew closer and threw a towel over the door. He wrapped it around his waist and opened the door.

Katara was standing there, her eyes shining with love and grief, and without thinking, without hesitating, without caring that he was soaking wet and cold, he embraced her tightly. "I'm sorry," she whispered in his ear, and he could feel his heart mending again. All was miraculously bright and clear, and he knew that she really did forgive him. He felt renewed, and he felt like nothing in the world could bring him down, because Katara loved him still. He knew he was not the same as before. He had experienced a life centered around power, and then a life centered around love. He had that love taken away for what seemed like an eternity, and having it back was the biggest blessing he could ever have. And in this, he was reborn.

Gently, tenderly, he took her lips in his and closed his eyes. And he felt like he could just stay there for the rest of his life.

_Hate me in ways,  
__Yeah ways hard to swallow,  
__Hate me so you can finally see what's good for you,  
__For you,  
__For you,  
__For you…_


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar, and I didn't in chapter 1 either, so don't go getting any ideas._

**A/N:** HOLY COW I'M SORRY THIS IS SO LATE! I thought I subnitted it but apparantly not... anyway, this is a fluffy little one, even though it narrates a character death. Next one I'll try to make neither fluffy nor angsty, because people seem to get annoyed at those the most. It all depends on the song. Also, last time I got the Hate Me lyrics off a website that censored them, so for further reference, I will not be censoring them, but I'll put a rating before the fic. So, R&R (for those of you who don't know what that means, read and REVIEW), and enjoy!

Rated: PG for violence. Don't jump down my throat for rating it PG for G-rated violence if that's what you think, though.

**Chapter 2: My Heart Will Go On**

_Every night in my dreams,  
I see you, I feel you.  
That is how I know you go on._

Katara picked up the bouquet of Panda Lilies that had been lying on her bedside table. For a moment, she stared at the bed. She slept alone in it now. She remembered when Zuko's warm frame was always there, and when at night when she couldn't get to sleep, he would hold her in his strong arms and she would listen to his heart beat until finally sleep came. They had moved in shortly before the war, but she still treasured what little time she had with him in that house. She looked at herself in the mirror and remembered when she would wear explosions of color every day, because she liked the reactions people got. Now she was afraid to stand out without him there beside her, and she wore black. People just walked by her now, and she faded into a blur.

She walked to the back of her house. It was large and spacious, but she hated it. It was cold and empty and lonely, but she couldn't move out because everything reminded her of Zuko, and she couldn't let that go. She made her way through the woods and followed the well-trodden path that led to where Zuko was buried.

A silent clearing, the filtered through a canopy of green leaves, and the sky showed in places, a serene blue. It was wet from rain, and she knelt by his grave. She didn't care that she was dirtying up her pants; she sat down in the mud anyway. She tenderly set the bouquet of Panda Lilies by it and removed the old, withered ones that had been there before. Not ready to leave, she fingered the familiar inscription, _'For one whose love was greater than life, may he rest in peace.'_ His name and dates were under that. Seeing his name, something stirred deep inside her heart.

_Far across the distance,  
and spaces between us,  
you have come to show you go on._

She remembered when he died, she remembered _why_ he died.

_flashback "You're too tired to keep going," Zuko told her. "I have to get you out of here."_

"_Don't be ridiculous, of course I can!" she lied, panting. But Zuko had already taken her hand and was weaving his way through the crowd, heading for the palace. She tried to keep up, but didn't have to for very long. Before he could get ten yards, a voice rose up through the crowd. _

"_Going somewhere, Prince Zuko?" Zuko whipped around taking a protective stance in front of her. She squeezed his shoulders and pressed close to him when she saw where the voice had come from. It was Fire Lord Ozai._

"_Hello, Father," Zuko hissed. But Ozai did not stop to chat. He began throwing attack after attack at his own son. Zuko pushed Katara aside and began to deflect and dodge them. They were going so fast that Katara couldn't follow the action completely. They both benefited from Sozen's Comet, so each attack was getting rapidly stronger. But then Ozai turned on Katara and aimed an attack at her. Zuko's eyes widened and he leapt in front of her to intercept it. /flashback_

"I'm so sorry Zuko," she whispered. "It's all my fault."

_Near, far, wherever you are  
I believe that the heart does go on  
Once more you open the door  
And you're here in my heart  
And my heart will go on and on_

He had taken a fireball to the chest. Ozai was two hours from his prime. Zuko had never had a chance.

_flashback Katara knelt down at Zuko's side. There wasn't a battle raging on all sides; the fate of the world wasn't at stake here. All she could think of was Zuko. "Zuko…" she whispered. He was still alive, but his breathing was shallow and ragged, and the burn had gone far beyond just his skin, blood was gushing out of his side in a ceaseless tide, but she couldn't believe that he would die. "Zuko, stay with me. I'm going to heal you, you're going to live, just hold on!" She tried to heal him. She tried to cover his wound with her water, but there wasn't enough._

"_Katara…" he coughed. "Don't. I'm going to—"_

"_No!" she cut him off fiercely. "You're not! I'm going to save you!"_

"_Katara, listen to me!" he said, his voice growing fainter._

"_Please don't leave me like this…" she pleaded, her eyes releasing rivers of tears._

"_Listen to me…" he said. "I'm going to die, but hear me now, I will _never_ leave you." His dimming eyes blazed with defiance and he tried to sit up. She gathered him in her arms, gently holding him up._

"_You're so selfish," she half-laughed, half-sobbed. "You're going to make me watch you die in my arms… you promised we'd be together forever. You promised! You can't go now." He laughed feebly._

"_It's time for me to go," he whispered. "But I will never leave you. We will be together forever. Try not to mourn me too much…" He tried to lift his hand to touch her face, but he couldn't muster the strength. Katara caught it in hers before it could fall back to his chest. "I love you, Katara."_

"_I love you, too, Zuko…" she whispered, and one last look of contentment crossed his face before his eyes closed and the last breath left his body. She pulled him close, disregarding all the blood, and cried into his chest. /flashback_

She was crying silently, and crouched down on his grave, as if bowing to it. She needed Zuko more than ever now, and he wasn't there to help her. Not in mortality, anyway.

_Love can touch us one time  
And last for a lifetime  
And never let go till we're one_

He had told her that he would always be there with her, that he would never really leave her. And he had never lied to her. There was no reason that he would lie to her at the very end of his life. She could feel his presence wherever she went, especially when she was here. She couldn't stop the tears from coming, but she knew that Zuko was waiting patiently for her.

Although she knew this now, it had taken her a long time to realize it. After his death, she had become withdrawn and depressed. Nothing her friends could say would make any difference. But eventually, as time had worked its healing magic, her dreams changed from vivid nightmares of him dying before her eyes to beautiful dreams of him in life.

_Love was when I loved you  
One true time I hold to  
In my life we'll always go on_

She slipped her hand into a hidden pocket and pulled out what was inside. It was a dagger, cold as ice. She had kept it with her, at night sometimes she would hold it, finger the blade, and wonder whether to end her life. But now she knew that that wasn't what Zuko would've wanted, not ever.

It was wrapped in black velvet to hide the cruel silver of the blade. She set it down in front of the bouquet. She wanted Zuko to know that she would never have to use it. And she wanted herself to know that as well.

_Near, far, wherever you are  
I believe that the heart does go on  
Once more you open the door  
And you're here in my heart  
And my heart will go on and on _

Years and years later, Katara lay in her bed. Avatar Aang was next to her, aiding her passage. She knew she was going to die, and she was glad for it, because there was not one single day over the years that she didn't miss Zuko. She had never gotten married or had any children. She'd never loved anyone but Zuko, and never felt like she needed to. Aang was getting on in years now, but he lived longer than normal people, being the Avatar. "When I die, bury me by him," she said faintly, smiling at him.

"Of course," he replied. His eyes were glimmering with sadness. In a time long past, he may have told her adamantly that she was not going to die, or even refused to bury her by Zuko. She remembered when he first found out about them, he was infuriated. He had loved her, and she'd never even seen it, he said. That wasn't true. She did know it, after the time they spent in Aunt Wu's village. In time, however, he had at least come to be able to stand them, and later, when he fell in love with Toph, he was able to fully accept that Katara would never be with him.

"You've been a good friend Aang," she said drowsily. "Such a good friend… I was lucky to have found you. My life would've been drastically different if I hadn't."

"I wouldn't have won the war without you," he said, embarrassed.

"Of course you would have," she said. "I only helped… you had the strength all along… of course you would have…" She didn't get to hear what Aang said next. She couldn't keep her eyes open a moment longer. Through her last breath her spirit escaped her body. When she realized what was happening, Aang had her hand, and was crying silently. She turned away from the sight of her own dead body lying on the bed to see the one person she'd missed so desperately for her entire life._  
_  
_You're here, there's nothing I fear,  
And I know that my heart will go on  
We'll stay forever this way  
You are safe in my heart  
And my heart will go on and on_

"Zuko…" she said. Her voice sounded just like it did when she was 22, and without even needing to look at her body, she knew that that was how young she was now, just from how the aches and pains of old age were gone.

"What took so long, Katara?" he asked, his eyes shining with laughter. He stepped forward and extended his hand. She smiled and took it, going with him to whatever lay beyond, finally at peace with herself.


End file.
